Turn around day for a 5/4 day booked as a 9 day

[Id rather be diving]

Good morning, can you tell me if you book the cruise as a 9 day, do you have to get off and get a new card on the turnaround day?

[USAF Retired]

Depends on where your turn around day is located. If you are in Europe, some locations do not require everyone to get off. If in the USA then you must get off. You have a couple of options in the US. You can take a tour to spend the day, you can get off and walk around the area and then get back on the ship before new passengers as you will have an In Transit Card to show. If you do not want either one, you will get a package the night before turn around day telling you where to meet, what time, an In Transit Card and your new cruise card for the second part of your cruise. You will meet with others doing the same thing and you will leave the ship after everyone else is off and as a group, then the ship is presented to Immigrations as zero passengers, and then you are allowed back on the ship. This process is normally very quick as I have done it twice and once it took 30 minutes and the other time 15 minutes. I have read of others taking longer because some passenger will not read the instructions and go to the pool instead of leaving the ship. Until security finds them and escorts them off the ship, everyone else has to sit and wait. The ship must have zero passengers before any one gets back on.

[capriccio]

Good morning' date=' can you tell me if you book the cruise as a 9 day, do you have to get off and get a new card on the turnaround day?[/quote']

 

Yes you do if it is Fort Lauderdale. Whether the turnaround is quick or not depends on how many folks are doing the B2B. On our February B2B on the Ruby Princess over 800 passengers were doing the B2B. The process was long and annoying - no one can return to the ship until the last passengers are off - and they needed to be hunted down - and the 'turn around area' had seating for only 1/2 of the passengers. Everyone else had to stand in line after clearing immigration. We met in the MDR around 9:30 and it was well after 11 before we were back on the ship.

 

I recommend finding out how many passengers are doing the B2B. If it is a large number, that would be the perfect morning to go into Fort Lauderdale on your own (take the water taxi!) or take one of the ship's tours (we live north of Fort Lauderdale so we weren't interested in doing that).

Edited July 20, 2014 by capriccio

[ar1950]

Good morning' date=' can you tell me if you book the cruise as a 9 day, do you have to get off and get a new card on the turnaround day?[/quote']

 

If you are sailing out of a US port, then, yes you do. We did that on the Ruby out of Ft. Lauderdale last March. They gave us new cruise cards and in transit passes on the last night of the first leg. We did an Everglades tour and when we returned to the ship we were allowed right on. No waiting like the newly arriving passengers. You don't pack and unpack either. Everything can stay in the cabin. :cool:

Edited July 20, 2014 by ar1950

[tjschwalm]

When we did it on Princess , several years ago , we kept the same stateroom for both cruises .

They just grouped us up in a theatre and we all just walked down to customs

and did a quick turnaround and right back on . They waited until the previous

cruise had cleared the ship , so it was just us . We did receive new S&S cards , I remember cause I had to repurchase my drink package and get a new sticker. Couldn't have been easier or less inconveniant . For a little while the ship was all ours , very nice .Have fun !

[Northender]

We were booked as a 9 day on the Ruby this past April. We had to get off and go to a "holding" area. We did get there fairly early after the ship was

cleared of the folks getting off. The people in charge were very nice and you sat down and waited to be cleared to get back on. Unfortunately for everyone, and there was a lot of In Transit passengers on our cruise, one couple had to be hunted down. When they showed up they got a standing "O", it was all in fun. :D

 

Then we were cleared, and they took people in the order that we were seated. Of course there were the usual people saying they should go first because of status, but the folks in charge did not let that happen. You do meet some nice people while waiting.:):)

Edited July 20, 2014 by Northender

[caribill]

There have been some posts recently that when a b2b has been booked as a single cruise, the first segment cruise card is also good for the second cruise and thus a new cruise card would not be needed.

 

No idea if this applies to all ships now.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I recommend you get off the ship early and avoid the whole turnaround immigration thing. You can usually start boarding again around noon. We use the time to either re-stock or go sightseeing.

[Thrak]

Haven't done this yet but will one of these days. I think we would just plan to leave the ship and do something in town for a couple of hours rather than hanging around waiting. It just seems a more relaxing way to go.

[Northender]

There have been some posts recently that when a b2b has been booked as a single cruise, the first segment cruise card is also good for the second cruise and thus a new cruise card would not be needed.

 

No idea if this applies to all ships now.

 

We were booked as a single cruise. Came back to FLL between the segments. Had a letter the night before telling us we had to go through the process. Hopefully, it has changed since then.:)

[dorisis]

We do many B2Bs out of Lauderdale and never found it a hassle. it's a fast get off get on process and the ship is empty for a while.

[ggprincess2004]

Our most recent experience in FLL on a b2b on turnaround day was a very slow, annoying process as there were a number of passengers that had to be "hunted down" - it took well over an hour to be allowed back on the ship.

 

If there is a fair percentage of b2b cruisers, it could be drawn out - plan to get off the ship early and do something fun!

[bhopal21]

I recommend you get off the ship early and avoid the whole turnaround immigration thing. You can usually start boarding again around noon. We use the time to either re-stock or go sightseeing.

 

I agree.

 

We disembarked quickly in Fort Lauderdale and spent the day sightseeing and shopping and returning was a breeze. You will have an "in transit" card which made the process very smooth.

 

Mike:)

[bhopal21]

Haven't done this yet but will one of these days. I think we would just plan to leave the ship and do something in town for a couple of hours rather than hanging around waiting. It just seems a more relaxing way to go.

 

Believe me it works very well and sure beats sitting in a lounge etc waiting for everyone else.

 

Mike:)

[PescadoAmarillo]

We were booked as a single cruise. Came back to FLL between the segments. Had a letter the night before telling us we had to go through the process. Hopefully, it has changed since then.:)

 

It has not. :( Leave the craziness of turnaround day on the ship and enjoy what Fort Lauderdale has to offer.

[jollyjones]

I'd suggest you go to the Captain's Circle host(ess) during the first leg and find out how many people are doing a b2b.

 

If it's a lot - like hundreds of people - I'd suggest going off ashore and doing something else for a while. If not, then you can just do the 'in transit' turnaround and hopefully it won't take long.

 

My experience is that it can be as short as 30mins or it can take hours (with no seating at all for some of it) but I've been to Fort Lauderdale so many times I really don't want to go ashore on turnaround day - living in Bermuda with unreliable airlift I always fly in two days ahead so I have done Fort Lauderdale.

 

Another consideration is if you'll be at Pier 2, thus walking distance to the dock gates and then on to the shops, or if you're further out (Pier 21 or suchlike) when you have to get a taxi with a $10 minimum just to get out of the port.

[knippsel]

All this info about boarding/reboarding on the turnaround day is really useful. Thank you all.

Does anyone know how the procedure differs if you're changing cabins on turnaround? When can you walk your stuff to the new cabin? (Please..... tell me you don't have to take everything off the ship with you to reboard. That would not be fun...)

[ggprincess2004]

All this info about boarding/reboarding on the turnaround day is really useful. Thank you all.

Does anyone know how the procedure differs if you're changing cabins on turnaround? When can you walk your stuff to the new cabin? (Please..... tell me you don't have to take everything off the ship with you to reboard. That would not be fun...)

 

You do not need to take your stuff off the ship but you do need to do some things and coordinate with your cabin steward. Tell him/her well ahead of time you are changing cabins on turnaround day. Leave your hanging clothes hanging, pack up everything else, except for what is in your safe. Go to breakfast, come back, and try to also have your safe empty by about 8 ish. You also need to coordinate with your new cabin steward. He will try to have your cabin ready as one of the first.

 

Your cabin steward should provide a garment rack for the hanging clothes. Hopefully you can vacate your old stateroom early enough to give your old cabin steward time to make it ready for the next occupants. Take your luggage to the new stateroom, do keep your valuables with you....coordinate the hanging clothes being moved, put your valuables in the new safe when it is convenient with the new cabin steward, and then try to get out the way and give him/her time to get things set for you.

 

You will, of course, have to do this around getting off the ship, clearing ICE and getting back on the ship in the morning.

[sashas_mom]

When we do a 14 day cruise to Hawaii my husband buys the soda card. Why would we have to purchase a new soda card if our cruise is booked as a 14 day, but there is a turnaround after the 7th day in Ft. Lauderdale? Do they charge less for the card when it is for a 7 day cruise?

[Colo Cruiser]

When we do a 14 day cruise to Hawaii my husband buys the soda card. Why would we have to purchase a new soda card if our cruise is booked as a 14 day' date=' but there is a turnaround after the 7th day in Ft. Lauderdale? Do they charge less for the card when it is for a 7 day cruise?[/quote']

 

Yes its a per day charge. About $5 and cannot be pro rated.

[caribill]

You do not need to take your stuff off the ship but you do need to do some things and coordinate with your cabin steward. Tell him/her well ahead of time you are changing cabins on turnaround day. Leave your hanging clothes hanging, pack up everything else, except for what is in your safe. Go to breakfast, come back, and try to also have your safe empty by about 8 ish. You also need to coordinate with your new cabin steward. He will try to have your cabin ready as one of the first.

 

Your cabin steward should provide a garment rack for the hanging clothes. Hopefully you can vacate your old stateroom early enough to give your old cabin steward time to make it ready for the next occupants. Take your luggage to the new stateroom, do keep your valuables with you....coordinate the hanging clothes being moved, put your valuables in the new safe when it is convenient with the new cabin steward, and then try to get out the way and give him/her time to get things set for you.

 

You will, of course, have to do this around getting off the ship, clearing ICE and getting back on the ship in the morning.

 

On every B2B we have done we have not moved any luggage at all. The cabin stewards take care of moving the luggage as well as the hanging clothes. We are usually off the ship touring when this is done and we go to our new stateroom when returning to the ship and find our belongings there.

[maz48]

We did our first cruise with Princess last October which was a B2B booked as one cruise. Changeover day was fabulous, but we were in the UK, so no having to get off the ship and we enjoyed the almost empty ship. I was hoping this was a Princess thing and on our next cruise, B2B from Fort Lauderdale I just presumed it would be the same. I am pleased our country makes things more pleasant;)

 

Thanks for asking the question. We know now. But we have 2 days in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise so didn't want to have to go off on changeover day to go visiting.

[geoherb]

Our turnaround day on the Ruby in December was one of the bad ones because of two women who did not show up. We waited in the Wheelhouse for about an hour before the Princess reps finally led us off the ship to go through the Immigration process. Then we still had to wait off the ship until the two women finally showed up.

 

We ate lunch in the dining room before heading over to Total Wine to restock. The good thing was that we could relax that afternoon since we did not have to attend muster again. We had the Oasis Pool all to ourselves.

[capriccio]

All this info about boarding/reboarding on the turnaround day is really useful. Thank you all.

Does anyone know how the procedure differs if you're changing cabins on turnaround? When can you walk your stuff to the new cabin? (Please..... tell me you don't have to take everything off the ship with you to reboard. That would not be fun...)

 

We changed cabins and that was by far the easiest part of the turnaround for us (see my earlier post). The cabins were right next door to each other. I think the steward cleaned the 'new' cabin as soon as the previous occupants departed because we were all moved even before we went to breakfast. We had packed our toiletries and the stuff in our safe and drawers in a carry on. The steward and a helper arrived with the bellman's cart (for hanging everything from your closet) and off we went. We were unpacked in less than 10 minutes. We went to breakfast, returned to the room (and threw a load of laundry in the washing machine :p) and waited until we needed to go meet in the MDR for the turnaround process.

[caribill]

 

Thanks for asking the question. We know now. But we have 2 days in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise so didn't want to have to go off on changeover day to go visiting.

 

When it works properly, it only takes about 30 minutes.